Quality Ball Pythons Morphs Snakes for Sale

Quality Ball Pythons Morphs Snakes for Sale

Feeding Ball Pythons

Feeding Ball Pythons

Ball Pythons are a constrictor and their diet consists of small rodents. They will eat mice and rats throughout their lives. They are nocturnal, so a good time to feed is at night. A separate feeding cage is recommended so the snake associates the cage with feeding and not your hand. This is a good lesson for everyone: You should never leave a live prey item (other than a pink mouse that cannot bite a snake) unattended.

It is easy to provide a Ball Python with a balanced healthy diet, since snakes consume whole prey items. Ball Pythons usually begin eating baby mice, called pinkies.

Feeding Ball Pythons on a Schedule

Ball Pythons eat rodents, primarily rats and mice. The size of the food item is dependent upon the girth of the snake. Don’t feed your ball python anything bigger than the thickest part of its body. This is recommended for ALL snakes. If your snake is a hatch-ling it should be fed every 5-6 days but as it gets older it’s not really needed to feed as much, since there fat stores have built up during the year. 10-14 days is good feeding schedule for an adult ball python.

If your Ball Python doesn’t eat weekly it is okay to skip a feeding and try to feed him again the next time. Also, if your snake seems to be overweight (the tail should slowly taper to a point, not have an abrupt change in width from the vent to the tip) you should wait longer in between feedings as to prevent obesity issues.

How to get hatch-ling started feeding

How to get baby Ball Pythons to feed. Start hatch-lings feeding on either live rat pups or mouse hoppers. Put the young rodent in the snakes enclosure and leave it for the snake to feed. It’s a good way to start them off. If the Baby Ball Python doesn’t feed, take the food item out and try again in a few days.

Wait a few days after hatching from the egg before offering the first meal 7-10 is a good starting point or after first shed. Remember they absorb the yoke before coming out of the eggs and in doing so this provides them with enough nutrients to survive for the first few weeks.

Here’s some steps to follow on getting baby ball pythons started feeding.

Start Week 1 a few days after the first shed. Be sure the hatch-lings are housed by them selves in a small 6qt tub with with fresh water and a hide box.

Week 1 drop a rat pink in each box and leave it over night.

Week 2 again drop a rat pink in each box and leave it over night.

Week 3 drop a mouse pink in each box and leave it over night.

Week 4 don’t even offer them a meal this week and leave them alone. Add some crumpled up newspaper to their boxes for added security.

Week 5 again drop a rat pink in each box and leave it over night.

Week 6 place the snake in a deli cup with a rat pink in if after few hours they don’t eat it, try replacing it with a mouse fuzzy for a few more hours.

Week 7 assist feed a mouse pink twice a week until they start feeding on there own.

Hint for a ball python that isn’t feeding

If your Ball Python isn’t taking food, try looking at the temperatures of the enclosure, is his tank to big, are there enough hides? Did you try different colored mice? (If you were feeding white mice try feeding brown.) What time of day where you feeding them? Some Ball Pythons only take during the night, and then some don’t care. Ball Pythons will often refuse food if they are handled excessively or when their habitat changes. They will need time to get comfortable in new surroundings before accepting a meal.

Should I feed My ball python Mice or Rats?

Rats are slightly more beneficial to snakes because of their nutritional content. They are also more convenient because they come in larger sizes and as the snake grows you can upgrade in size and still feed only one prey item per feeding. However, if your snake is willing to eat multiple mice per feeding than it’s mainly just personal preference.

Power feeding is never a good idea

Some people power feed there Ball Python so they grow faster; It will cause your snake to become too fat and may have an ill affect. If you over feed your Ball Python it cuts it’s lifespan in half. It’s called power feeding and should never be done. If you feed your Ball Python one rat a week it will grow to its maximum size. If your snake does not take to rats then you can feed it two adult mice back to back.

What if your Ball Python won’t eat?

If you are keeping it at the correct temperature, and it is healthy, it should feed regularly. If it refuses a meal several times in a row, or if it regurgitates, or if you notice obvious weight loss or signs of disease (fluid or bubbles in the nostrils, sneezing, open-mouth breathing), it is time to make an appointment with a reptile veterinarian.

Need help finding a reptile veterinarian near you check out ARAV’s Find A Vet . (ARAV) stands for Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians.